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Council approves RAO for L Block, old Looper home

The condemned old home of Byron Looper has been approved by the city council to be part of an RAO District designed to encourage redevelopment.

Herald-Citizen File

Posted
Friday, September 7, 2018 11:24 am

BY LINDSAY MCREYNOLDS

A condemned property that has been known to produce one of the highest call volumes to the Cookeville Police Department has taken another step toward redevelopment.

A Redevelopment Area Overlay District was approved by the city council Thursday night for property commonly referred to as "L Block" at 319 Chestnut Ave. and the former Byron Looper house at 358 W. 4th St.

The RAO district is designed to encourage redevelopment.

Aaron Bernhardt owns the properties and plans to put a 17-unit townhouse development in place of the condemned 12-unit apartment building and house that exist there now.

Cookeville Planning Director James Mills said the area has been identified as being in need of redevelopment in the city's 2030 plan. The property is less than the one acre required for an RAO district, but the city code states that an RAO district is still appropriate if significant public benefit can be achieved.

No one spoke during the public hearing Thursday night before the council approved the RAO district.

But Councilman Mark Miller said, "Before I became a trooper, I rode with the Cookeville Police Department, and the first place we went was 'L Block.' I'm really excited about this development. It will clean up and beautify our city."

The RAO requires a second approval by the city council before it takes effect.

If it's approved, the development would be the city's sixth RAO, according to Mills.

The first couple were the University Square developments at 7th, 8th and 9th streets.

Subsequent RAOs have resulted in the cottages on West Broad Street and a six-home development off Broad Street and Chestnut Avenue.

Final plat development approval is expected for the city's fifth RAO this month on Freehill Road.

The proposed development on Chestnut Avenue and 4th Street will include a reduction in setbacks, and an agreement that the city pave the alley used to access the town homes. The city will also share in the cost of decorative street lighting.

"We've done that before," Mills said. "That will make the site look better. Both university square developments have the decorative street lighting."

If the RAO district is approved on second reading Sept. 20, demolition of the apartment complex and house is expected to begin soon. The entire development should be completed within two years.